Referendum campaignThe Catholic bishops have said that any vote cast in the citizenship referendum with the intention of weakening or denying fundamental human rights would be morally wrong.
However, although they said the subject of the referendum had "serious moral and social, as well as legal, implications", they have not said whether people should vote Yes or No.
To date just one of Ireland's four main Christian churches has taken a position on how people should vote in the referendum.
Last month the southern executive of the Methodist Church in Ireland's Council for Social Responsibility recommended a rejection of the proposed constitutional change, which they said was ill-judged and would have "unfortunate consequences".
They said that, irrespective of its intent, it was in practice racist in nature and might well also inflame racist tendencies.
The referendum hardly featured at the Church of Ireland General Synod in Armagh last month and is not on the agenda for discussion at the Presbyterian Church's General Assembly, which begins in Belfast on Monday.
Representatives of other churches in the State have not commented on the referendum either. Neither have members of Ireland's Jewish or Muslim communities, or representatives of other religions here.
In a statement yesterday the standing committee of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference pointed out that the Constitution "defines the fundamental ethos of the State.
"Changing the Constitution is always a serious matter."
This being so they encouraged all voters "to exercise their democratic right and duty through taking part actively and responsibly in the debate and through voting."
While recognising the referendum had been called within legal parameters established by the Constitution, they said "it could be argued with some justification that a wider process of public consultation might have led to the possibility of a broader consensus on the way to address the serious issues that are at the heart of the debate."
Above all they felt that it was "important to ensure that all people who find themselves in Ireland, children and adults, whether citizens or not, enjoy full protection of their fundamental human rights, without discrimination on the basis of race or origin," they went on.
"As human beings, they possess such rights independently of citizenship. This must always be the clear hallmark of the future constitutional and legal framework."
The referendum rendered "even more urgent the provision of a comprehensive, fair and transparent immigration policy. This is an important challenge to Ireland today.
"Without such a policy there is a real risk that the rights of refugees and the fundamentally important legal institution of asylum will be undermined," they said.
Last night the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr McDowell, said he warmly welcomed the statement.
Mr McDowell added that he fully agreed with the bishops that it was up to each person to make up his or her own mind on which way to vote.
